The Egg Bowl gets its name from the trophy Ole Miss and Mississippi State play for, called the “Golden Egg,” which looks more like an egg than a modern football because it was modeled on the rounder 1920s-style ball. The rivalry game was long known as the “Battle for the Golden Egg,” but in 1979 a sportswriter at The Clarion-Ledger labeled that year’s matchup the “Egg Bowl,” and the shorter name stuck.